Apparatus and method for preparing sausage casings, etc.



Oct. 8, 1935. J. P. SMITH 2,016,841

APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PREPARING SAUSAGE CASINGS, E TC Filed Dec. 1,1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PREPARING SAUSAGECASINGS, ETC

Filed Dec. 1, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEAPPARATUS SAUSAGE tion of Virginia Application '1 Claims.

This invention relates particularly to a method and apparatus ployed,especially in lose tubes, such different sizes by which may be usefullyemthe manufacture of celluas artificial sausage casings. 5 Such tubesare extruded in seamless form and in methods known in the art. In

the manufacture, viscose is extrudedin seamless,

tubular form into bath. The tubing may be cession of baths through asmall percentage softening 'agent.

a coagulating and regenerating passed through a sucfor completing theregeneration (conversion to cellulose), then through cleansing baths,and finally bath containing a of glycerine, which acts as a The presentinvention deals with a cellulose tubing which has manner as has asolution of gelatin may been produced in some such been described andthe drying of the cellulose tubing.

be introduced into the pertains to If desired,

tubing for the purpose of providing an interior coating which is ceivesmoisture, meat as well as capable of swelling when it resuch coatingadhering to the tubular body whose into the terior surface it coats.Where this expedient is employed, a 20% water solution of gelatin wouldserve the purpose. If desired, a small percentage of glycerine maysolution,- also.

be incorporated in the In accordance with the present invention,cellulose tubing produced in any desired manner is fed through a bathwhich preferably contains heated water, say of about through a dryingapparatus. a body of gaseous duced into a'length tained within thatportion extends through the heater fluid, preferably air,

of the tubing, and is main- C., and thence In this operation,

is introthe tubing .which and into the bath mentioned above, whichprecedes the heater.

, The tubing, as ms, is subjected to a the body it is drawn through theapparaflattening operation, so that of air in the tubing is maintainedin substantially the same ,zone during the progress of the dryingoperation. The bath through which the tubing passes,

by reason of the water pressure which it exerts upon the tubing, forms aseal for the trapped air at the rear end of the body of air; length ofthe body The arrangement is such that the of air trapped in the tubingvmay vary somewhat. and thus the present invention provides for acertain flexibility. in operation not heretofore obtained by knownprocesses.

The invention is illustrated in a preferred em- .bodiment in theaccompanying drawings, in

which- Fig. 1 is a broken side elevational view of apparatus adapted tothe-practice of the process, showing that portion of the apparatus whichis in the rear of the heater; Fig. 2,

tanks and attendant parts shown nF s. s-

a plan, view of the John Paul Smith, Chic Visking Corporation,

ago, 111., assignor to The Chicago, 111., a corpora- December 1, 1933,Serial No. 700,627

a broken detailed. view, trating a squeezer' which scale in Fig. 1; Fig.4, a broken side elevational view of the portion of the apparatus whichis complemental to that shown in Fig. 1, this portion of the apparatuscomprising the heater, the flattening rolls in front of the heater, andthe take-up roll; and Fig. 5, a. broken plan view of the left-handportion of the apparatus shown in Fig. 4. i

In the apparatus as illustrated, A designates a stand, or support, uponwhich is mounted a roll B of the tubing which is to be dried, the tubingas drawn from the roll B being designated B'; C and C, tanks, or vats,which contain baths which are preferably of water; D, a squeezersurmounting the tank C, this device being particularly desirable where asolution of gelatin, for example, has been introduced into the casingbefore threading the casing into the apparatus; E, a scaffold-structure;F, a stand, or pedestal, which supports certain operative parts; G, aheater having a relatively large tube, or conduit, G through whichheated air, for example, may pass for the purpose, of drying the tubingB; H, tube-flattening rolls mounted on a stand H in advance of theheater; and I, a take-up roll upon which the tubing, after flattening,is wound.

In the example given, the tubing passes from the roll B under a rollerI; roller 2 and a pressure-r0113; thence into the bath in the tank C andabout a roller 4 in the lower portion thereof; thence upwardly and abouta ro1ler'5; thence downwardly into the bath in the tank C and aboutportion thereof; thence upwardly and about a roller I carried by an armi forming a part of the structure E; thence between a roller 8 and acoacting pair of spaced rollers 9 mounted on the stand F; thence throughthe tube G of the 40 heater; thence between the flattening rolls H; and,finally, under the take-up roll I. Those rollers which serve asfeed-rollers are geared together (excepting the flattening rolls H) bysuitable belting Hi. 45

The driven parts are actuated, in the illustration given, by an electricmotor ll geared to a longitudinal shaft I! which serves to actuateshafts I3 and I4 mounted in the lower portions of the stands F and H."The shaft l3 is'gearedto 50 the roller 9, as by a chain IS. The shaftI4 is connected by a chain IE to the lower member of the flatteningrolls H. The shaft of said lower roll drives a chain I! which, in turn,drives the take-up rollerI through-the medium of a suitableclutch-device (not shown).

The driven parts are geared together in .proper relationto draw thecellulose tube through the apparatus without injury to the tubing.

The roller 3 is shown (Fig. 1) mounted on a thence between a 30 a roller6 in the lower 5 e squeezer D is shown as comprising a pair of resilientscrapers I9 and 20, preferably of rub- I 9 and the latter by a movablemember 20- mounted on a lever 20 whose free end is connected with aflexible member 20 which passes over a sheave 20 and is attached to aweight 20.

The arrangement is such that the members is and 20 act like a squeegee,so that if gelatin solution is contained in the tubing it will besqueezed back into that portion of the tubing which is in the bathcontained in the tank C, and such portion of the gelatin solution aspasses the squeegee is evenly distributed upon the inner wall of thecellulose casing.

The heated water in the tank 0' serves to keep the gelatin coatingsufficiently soft or fluid to.

allow the tubing to open up properly under the influence of theelongated air bubble which extends back into the bath in the tank C. Thetanks C and C may be heated in any suitable manner. In the illustration,suitable circulating pipes are shown attached to the tanks, to enableheated water to be circulated. If desired, heating coils may beintroduced into the tanks, and the circulating pipes may be omitted.

Referring to Fig. 4, the roller 8 serves as a pressure roller whichexerts only moderate .pressure upon the tubing B, such moderate pressurebeing insuflicient to flatten the tubing. This permits the elongatedbody of air to extend rearwardly into the bath in the tank 0'. The pressure of the water in the tank C tends to flatten Y the tubing for somedistance above the roller 6. However, undue extension of the air-body,such throughthe tubing G and thus serves to dry the cellulose tubing asit passes through the heating apparatus.

' In introducing air into the tubing B, it will be understood that thismay be accomplished by any rear of or in front of the drier) in lieu ofthe bath in the tank 0' for permitting variation in the length of theair-body contained in the tubing. Ordinarily, in dealing with ratherheavy-walled cellulose tubing of large diameter, say up to 4%" indiameter, one 1 employs an internal gaseous pressure of about lb. to 1lb. 'per square inch.

The foregoing detailed description has been given for. clearness ofunderstanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understoodtherefrom, but the appended claims should be construed as broadly aspermissible, in view .of the prior art.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: l v

1. A process comprising: passing cellulose tubing into a body of liquidconstituting a bath and, in flattened condition, about a roller disposeda a ing means; and maintaining a gaseous inflating body in the tubingbetween said tube-flattening 10 means and the roller. contained in saidbath, wherebyvariation in the length of the gaseous body is permitted bysaid bath.

2. Apparatus for the purpose set forth, comprising a tank adapted tocontain a heated bath; 15 a squeezer through which tubing may pass fromsaid bath: a second bath equipped-with a flattening roller located asubstantial distance below the top of the bath; a heater through whichthe tubing willpass after leaving the second-mentioned 20 bath; andtube-flattening means in advance of said heater, whereby an inflatinggaseous body may be maintained in said tubing, the gaseous bodyextending into a portion of the tubing within the second-mentioned bath,-thus per- 25 mitting variation in the length of the gaseous inflatingbody. Q

3. In a process of drying tubing by passing it through drying apparatuswhile maintaining an isolated gaseous inflating body in the portion of30 the tubing passing through said apparatus, the step which comprisesmaintaining a variable seal under pressure graduated longitudinally ofthe in a section of the tube undergoing drying which comprises:maintaining the tube in flattened v 6. Apparatus for the purpose setforth comprising drying apparatus through which tubing may be passedcontinuously; means for effecting the drying apparatus; and means foreffecting 5 said last-mentioned means comprises a; bath tubing passesand which isloca'ted a substantial distance below he top of the bath. I

Jenn PAUL sMrrn.

